Colorado bans discrimination based on sexual orientation

March 26, 2013

Congratulations to Colorado for stepping it up and joining Oregon and California to explicitly prohibit insurers from discriminating against an individual’s sexual orientation. This action by the Colorado Division of Insurance makes it clear that insurers are not allowed to charge higher rates on the basis of an individual’s sexual orientation or transgender status, consider sexual orientation or transgender status as a pre-existing condition, or use sexual orientation or transgender status as a basis for rejecting coverage for medically necessary services.

You can read the Colorado insurance bulletin here. This is a great example of being proactive before insurers submit bids to sell on the states health insurance exchange. Good modeling Colorado. Equality for all is critical as exchanges move forward.